Rail joint



June 5, 1923.

a F. E. HARDER I BAIL JOINT Filed Dec. 7, 1922 IH If??? n/ .9 5 I, I

7 l Jam IIJIIIIJIIIIIIA 8Mmm= eaeakfdfagac fi W r Patented June 5, 1923.

" FREDERICK n. HARDER, or DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

RAIL JOINT.

Application filed December To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, .FREDERIOK E. HARDER, a citizen of the United Statesof America, residing at.Detroit, in the county 6 of \Vayne and State ofMichigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in RailJoints, of which the following is a specification, reference being hadtherein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to rail joints and it has for its principalobject the provision of a joint in which the parts may be more readilyassembled than in other similar devices, but which will be secureagainst accidental separation after assembly.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a rail joint showing a preferredembodiment of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a View in horizontal section on the line IL-II of Fig. l, anda Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line III-III of Fig. 2, lookingin the direction indicated by the arrows.

Adjacent to the meeting ends of the rails 1 are formed the usualopenings for the reception of the securing bolts or rivets 2, and wherethe rails are to be used for electric railways, additional holes will beformed to receive the ends of bonding wires 3.

A joint chair 4 is provided which consists of a metal casting having abase 5 adapted to extend under the lower flanges 6 of the rails 1 andhaving side arms 7 adapted to lie parallel with the webs 8 of the rails,being spaced at a sufficient distance therefrom to permit theintroduction of fish plates 9 and a. wedge member 10. In assembling thejoint, chair 4 is slid lengthwise upon the lower flange at the end ofone rail and the other rail is placed in position with the two ends ofthe rails abutting each other. The bonding wire 3 will be placed inposition if it is used, and the fish plates 9- will then be placed inposition, suitable recesses being provided on the inner faces of thefish plates for the reception of the wire 3. After the fish plates arein position, the rail chair is adjusted to bring the openings 11 in theside arms 7 opposite the openings in the rails which receive the boltsor rivets 2. The bolts or rivets may then be introduced. through theopenings 11 to pass through theregistering holes in the fish 7, .1922.Serial No. 605,338.

plates and rail webs and the wedge, 10 may then be driven lengthwisebetween the heads of the rivets 2 and the adjacent side arm" 7, this notonly serving to hold'the rivets 2 securely in position, but also actingto clamp the fish plates and the rail webs firmlybetween the side arms 7of the rail chair. After the wedge 10 has been driven as far as it willgo, its narrow end which will project beyond the end of the rail c airwill be bent over as indicated at 12 to prevent accidenta-l withdrawalof the wedge.

With the wedge thus set securely in place a and held by the bent overend, all of the members are held securely in position, thus renderingrelative movement of the ends of the railsimpossible.

The side arm 7 on the side of the rails opposite the wedge 10 will alsopreferably be provided with openings 13 to receive the ends of therivets 2 as a means for preventing movement of the rail chairlongitudi-, nally of the ends of the rails.

' The rail chair, will be provided with flanges M against which may beset the supporting ties 15. Preferably there may be a tie under the endof each rail, as shown in full lines, though a tie may be setin theposition indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1 beneath the central portionof the rail chair.

This invention is an improvement upon the structure shown in Patent No.1,033,767, patented July 23, 1912. In the device therein described, itwas necessarythat the parts should be assembled with the rivetsin'position within the fish plates before the rail chair was slidlengthwise into position and the rivets would be likely to fall outwardinto the space between the fish plates and the side arms, making itdiflicult if not im- 95 possible to insert the wedge plate.

The present invention obviates the difficulties encountered by theoriginal device, thus providing a highly efficient and readily assembledrail joint.

It will be evident that -many changes and modifications may. be madewithout departing from the principles of my invention, and I thereforewish to claim the invention broadly within the legitimate and 105 validscope of the appended claims.

I claim j l. The combination with meeting rails of fish plates fittedagainst the opposite sides of the webs ofthe rails, a rail chairinclosing the bases of the rails and having side arms upstandingopposite the fish plates, the Webs of the rails and the fish plates being provided with registering openings, and one of the side arms beingprovided With openings registering with the openings in the rails andfish plates and adapted for the passage therethrough of headed pins intothe openings in the Webs and fish plates, and a Wedge inserted betweensaid arm and the adjacent fish plate, said wedge extending opposite theheads of the pins to prevent their removal from said fish plates.

2. A structure as in claim 1 in which the side arm opposite the wedge isprovided With an opening to receive the projecting end of a pinextending through an adjacent fish plate whereby to prevent longitudinalmovement of the rail chair.

3. A rail chair comprising a base adapted to receive a rail flange andhaving side arms, one of Which is adapted to lie parallel with the Webof a rail and the other of which extends at an angle thereto 'to providea Wedge shaped space thereloetween, said last mentioned side arm beingprovided with a plurality of openings adapted for the passage ofsecuring pins into said rail.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

FREDERICK E. HARDER.

Vitnesses ARTHUR MINNICK, ANNA M. Dorm.

